Local police crime investigation chief Taufik Hidayat said the syndicate was broken following complaints from passengers.

"It involved some baggage handlers working for state airline Garuda Indonesia, Air Asia, Lion Air and Batavia Air,'' he told AFP today.

He said both international and domestic passengers had been victims.

Mr Hidayat said the thieves went through bags while they were inside the aircraft's hold as they were being loaded on or taken off.

Sukarno-Hatta International Airport's police chief was quoted by the English-language Jakarta Post as saying that 160 stolen items had been seized, included mobile phones, cameras, jewellery and video cameras.